Urgent mental health support needed as SA teachers buckle under pressure

So stressed and overworked are SA teachers, that mental health support is urgently needed in schools, according to the latest study by the University of Stellenbosch.

The Teacher Preferences and Job Satisfaction in South Africa report, with findings based on a nationwide survey of over 1 500 teachers, complemented by follow-up telephonic interviews with 80 teachers, has revealed:

• An alarming 50% of teachers desire leaving the profession in the next 10 years, with the primary reason being excessive workloads and administrative burdens;
• A total of 70% have cited administrative duties as their primary source of stress, reducing time available for lesson planning and pupil support; and
• A total of 40% said nothing would convince them to take a job in a rural area. “While we do not expect pre-retirement attrition rates to reach 50%, these findings highlight an urgent need to address teacher burnout and mental health,” said Heleen Hofmeyer, one of the report’s authors. “Through follow-up interviews, we found that high stress levels, excessive administrative tasks and inadequate support systems, are driving factors for teachers wanting to leave the profession.” In addressing teacher challenges, policy recommendations made by the report included:
• Expanding mental health support for teachers and pupils; v Reducing the administrative burden on teachers;
• Introducing incentives to attract teachers to rural areas;
• Equipping teachers with remedial teaching strategies; and
• Enhancing classroom management training.

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‘Neither shocked nor surprised’

The profession’s trade union, Sadtu, said it was “neither shocked, nor surprised” by the outcomes. “We have always raised some of the areas contained in the report,” said Sadtu deputy secretary-general Nkosana Dolopi.

“We have highlighted the impact of workload, overcrowded classes, none or dilapidated infrastructure, austerity measures or budget cuts leading to posts not being filled, with unnecessary administrative tasks being assigned to teachers, earning low salaries, labouring under deplorable working conditions,” he said.

Pupil discipline and safety concerns for teachers – with little or no involvement of parents – was “a recipe for disaster”. This madness over the matric pass percentages for political point-scoring, leading to long hours of work, sometimes on Saturdays and Sundays, should come to an end,” said Dolopi.

Teachers ‘not prioritised’

Clinical psychologist Keitumetse Mashego, called the study a “truly sad reflection of our society and the education system, in public and private schools”.

Teachers are not coping, largely due to being burnt out and this is a risk for them and a crisis for education and future generations.

“They play a crucial role in society, yet they are not prioritised. Burnout is debilitating and can lead to other mental health disorders – depression, anxiety or substance abuse,” said Mashego.

“In severe instances, sufferers often want to leave their profession due to the severity of their experience. “The passion that brought them to the profession has eroded,” she said.

“People who have burnout often make statements such as ‘I have nothing left to give to my work’, with the big component of it being emotional exhaustion.

Mental health intervention

“According to the Maslach Burnout Inventory, other components are cynicism towards work, detachment or depersonalisation, where pupils are seen as objects, as well as reduced professional efficacy, whereby teachers would not see their success or value add.”

The demands on teachers were “far beyond their capabilities as human beings and it’s exacerbated”, said Mashego.

“There needs to be immediate crucial individual mental health intervention for the teachers.”

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